Fantasy playoffs are here: Let the fretting begin!

As the long-awaited fantasy football playoffs get under way this week, one of the most troubling matchups takes place in Minnesota.

The Vikings' Adrian Peterson is coming off a horrible game, has been unimpressive for three weeks and faces a Cincinnati run defense that ranks second in the NFL. On the other side, Bengals back Cedric Benson has only been back from a hip injury for a week and runs up against the Vikings' No. 3 run defense.

So, what to do in such situations during this critical do-or-die week? Do you analyze every stat, calculate the matchups and get fancy with your lineup in an effort to coach your way to a title? Or do you just plug in your same old players despite their matchups or recent struggles?

It depends a bit on the player, of course, but for the most part it's simple: Don't get cute. Your elite players got you to the postseason, and it's better to go down with them than to kick yourself later for your inability to resist Rock Cartwright.

As you force yourself to ignore Peterson's 1.5 yards per carry last week, here are some players to consider starting and some to sit in Week 14: QUARTERBACKS

TAKE A SHOT:

—Brett Favre's either at the point where he'll start breaking again or last week's poor showing was a fluke. Based on the fact that he actually attempted a no-look pass in the Vikings' second loss of the season, let's go with fluke and expect a bounce-back game.

—In his past three games Tennessee's Vince Young has a 70-yard rushing game, a nearly 400-yard passing game and his first two-TD pass game of the year. He may do all those things against the Rams.

—Donovan McNabb has been a non-factor the past few weeks for Philadelphia, but he faces the Giants' questionable pass defense in a huge divisional game. McNabb has thrown three TD passes in two of his last three games against the Eagles.

—If you somehow made the postseason without a decent quarterback, perennial waiver-wire offering Jason Campbell may give you a shot. He'll surely put up some nice numbers in the 59 minutes before the Redskins lose a close one to Oakland.

BACK AWAY SLOWLY AND NOBODY GETS HURT:

Please, in the name of UFL Most Valuable Player Brooks Bollinger, don't start these guys: